Chapter 241 - 206: Boss, 1 Braised Dish Platter

Chapter 241: Chapter 206: Boss, 1 Braised Dish Platter

There’s no such thing as a life of quiet tranquility; it’s just that someone else is carrying the burden for you.

While Xu An slept soundly, Liu Tong began the preliminary phase of his plan to open up a sales channel for Xu’s Braised Shop—convincing the owner of the Old Place Barbecue Restaurant to start carrying Xu’s Braised Shop!

Yesterday, he had thought about going straight to Xu An to pledge his allegiance, but a pledge requires a sign of good faith—a gift! The barbecue shop owner, who seemed like the easiest target and had a unique passion for braised food, was naturally the best person to win over, and also the most sincere gift he could offer.

Fortunately, on this final day, his supervisor seemed to have accepted his fate and didn’t cause any more trouble, letting him clock out right at six in the evening.

After work, Liu Tong rushed over to Liu Zhaowen’s house without stopping to pick up the eleven pounds of braised food he had asked him to buy. Then, he headed to the Old Place Barbecue Restaurant, which had just opened for the night.

"Hey, what brings you here so early today? All by yourself? Your friend didn’t come with you?" the barbecue shop owner greeted Liu Tong enthusiastically.

"He’s busy tonight. I’ll have an egg fried rice and two beers." After placing his order, Liu Tong gave the barbecue shop owner a sly grin. "Boss, I found a place with some amazing braised food. Wanna give it a try?"

The barbecue shop owner’s gaze naturally fell on the small insulated box in Liu Tong’s hands. A look of interest appeared in his eyes, and he agreed without hesitation, joking, "I’ll have to give it a try. If it’s good, I’ll add an extra egg and a sausage to your fried rice. If it’s bad, you’re getting soy sauce fried rice tonight!"

"Deal. Looks like I’m earning myself an egg and a sausage tonight! Come on, Boss, give me a plate!"

After taking the plate, he opened the insulated box he had just set on the table and pulled out four bags of braised food: three vegetable dishes and one meat. There was edamame, potatoes, lotus root, and the barbecue shop owner’s favorite—braised pig ears.

The instant he saw the braised pig ears, the barbecue shop owner’s eyes lit up. The movements of his hands as he stir-fried the rice quickened, and his whole demeanor screamed impatience.

The moment the jellied sauce began to melt, a rich aroma wafted out. The barbecue shop owner’s nose twitched, and he asked in surprise, "Where’d you buy this? How is the fragrance so strong? It smells even better than what I make myself."

"Try it first. If you think it’s good, I’ll tell you which braised food shop it’s from." Liu Tong was very satisfied with the owner’s reaction. ’The fish has taken the bait!’

The barbecue shop owner didn’t stand on ceremony. He plopped the fried rice, now with an extra egg and sausage, in front of Liu Tong, turned to grab three bottles of beer from the cooler, tore open a pair of disposable chopsticks, and picked up a large mouthful of shredded pig ear.

Since most people buy pig ears as a side dish for drinks, and considering the people of Hai City don’t really eat spicy food, the braised pig ears were five-spice flavored.

The five-spice flavor was rich and aromatic, with a very deep seasoning. The outer layer of the pig ear was tender and soft, while the cartilage in the middle was springy and chewy. The texture was delicate yet refreshing, especially when paired with beer. The combination of rich spices and the crisp maltiness of the beer was utterly refreshing and deeply satisfying.

This was the first time the barbecue shop owner had ever admitted that someone else’s braised pig ears tasted better than his own. Though he stubbornly said, "It’s still a tiny bit worse than mine," the speed of his chopsticks didn’t slow down. Half a pound of pig ears vanished into his stomach in a matter of moments.

His chopsticks turned, and he went on to try the three vegetable dishes he wasn’t particularly interested in, only to be pleasantly surprised by them as well. ’This braised food shop really knows what it’s doing!’

"So, Boss, how are the braised dishes?" Behind Liu Tong, an invisible devil’s tail shot up high.

"Not bad. Their skill is almost on par with mine!" the barbecue shop owner praised without holding back. "Which braised food shop is this from? A new one?"

"Yep. The three vegetable dishes are five yuan a pound, and the braised pig ears are twenty-five a pound." After stating the prices, Liu Tong changed the subject and began introducing Xu’s Braised Shop to the owner: "This shop just opened three days ago and was an instant hit. It’s bustling with customers every day. The shop has a total of four flavors and fourteen different kinds of braised dishes, all high-quality and affordable..."

Speaking of Xu’s Braised Shop, the barbecue shop owner remembered it. It was the shop offering a ten-thousand-yuan cash prize for a successful challenge. He had gone to check out the excitement on opening day, but the place was packed to the gills and unbearably hot, so he left in less than ten minutes. He never expected their braised food to be so incredible!

Then, the barbecue shop owner sensed something was off. ’This kid... he’s giving me such a detailed pitch. This feels like a setup!’

After listing all of Xu’s Braised Shop’s amazing feats, Liu Tong revealed his true motive and cut straight to the chase. "Boss, how about trying to stock some of the braised goods from Xu’s Braised Shop to sell here? You just tried them, they taste great..."

"No, no, no." The barbecue shop owner looked terrified and waved his hands dismissively. "I got a lot of complaints because of the braised food before. I don’t dare sell it again."

Liu Tong understood the owner’s concern and didn’t force him to accept. Instead, his devil’s tail wagged even more gleefully, and his voice dropped, becoming low and persuasive. "Boss, why don’t you let me give it a shot? I still have four braised food platters. You set a price, and I’ll help sell them. If they sell out with no complaints, you’ll consider it, right?"

"You little rascal!" The barbecue shop owner pointed a finger at Liu Tong. "No wonder my right eyelid was twitching a few times when you walked in today. So this is what you were waiting for!"

The owner’s tone was firm, but his attitude was ambiguous. After some more coaxing from Liu Tong, he not only agreed to the request but also proactively grabbed four small plates for him and cleared out a section of a cooler to display the braised food.

’Looks like this boss has a tsundere personality. Too bad he’s a guy. If he were a girl, this would be so much more interesting!’

He sat in the shop for about half an hour. At seven o’clock, the first wave of customers for the evening finally arrived. Judging by their expressions and demeanor, they were office workers from nearby. And sure enough, after the group of five ordered and sat down, they immediately started complaining about work, colleagues, and bosses...

"Good evening. Here’s a small plate of braised appetizers for you to try." Liu Tong politely placed a small dish containing a quarter piece of lotus root and potato, three edamame pods, and a chopstick’s worth of shredded pig ear on their table. "If you like the taste, you can order a braised food platter—three vegetable dishes and one meat for twenty-six yuan."

"Oh, thank you, thank you."

After thanking him, not only did the five young people not try the braised dish, they deliberately avoided it. It seemed these five were also among the victims of the barbecue shop owner’s own braised food.

’Alright, if this table doesn’t work, there’s always the next.’ Liu Tong gave out five small plates of braised appetizers in a row, but everyone’s memory of the boss’s braised food was apparently still vivid. Of the seventeen people at the five tables in the shop, not a single one dared to try it!

Just as Liu Tong was debating whether to announce that this braised food wasn’t made by the owner, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. One of the five office workers, while chatting, reached his chopsticks toward the tin-foil enoki mushrooms. Since he wasn’t looking at the food, his aim was a little off, and his chopsticks landed squarely on the braised lotus root. Under the horrified gazes of the other four, he popped it into his mouth.

"What’s wrong? Why are you all...?" the man asked while chewing, but he stopped mid-sentence. ’This texture isn’t right! This doesn’t taste like enoki mushrooms... it’s more like braised food?’ He subconsciously turned his head, about to spit it onto the floor, but his mouth kept chewing on its own for a couple of bites.

’Wait a minute, this flavor...!’

The man’s abrupt halt made two of his friends, who were about to pass him a napkin and a beer, freeze for a second. They just stared dumbly as he chewed quickly and swallowed the piece of braised food.

"This flavor... seems pretty good? Not sure, let me try again." The man’s chopsticks once again picked up a piece of potato and brought it to his mouth. He savored it carefully, and this time, his eyes grew brighter the more he chewed.

Seeing his reaction, the other four all turned their gazes to the dish, which now only had three edamame pods and a single sliver of braised pig ear left. After a moment’s hesitation, they also picked up their chopsticks, grabbed a sliver of pig ear, and put it in their mouths.

CRUNCH... CRUNCH... CRUNCH... GULP!

Almost at the exact moment they swallowed, all four of them whipped their heads toward Liu Tong and said in unison, "Boss, one braised food platter!"

"Coming right up! One braised food platter for the five of you, that’ll be twenty-six yuan!" Beaming, Liu Tong brought over a neatly stacked plate of braised food and set it on their table. He took the cash they handed him and brandished it triumphantly at the barbecue shop owner, mouthing the words, "Done deal!"

As these four people crudely devoured the food, alternating mouthfuls of beer and braised food, the other four tables of customers skeptically reached their chopsticks toward the complimentary dishes. A moment later, four different voices rang out at the same time: "Boss, one braised food platter!"